Absolute Boyfriend - Reviews

Alt title: Zettai Kareshi

Absolute Boyfriend
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FreddyCrab's avatar
Oct 30, 2011

Story: When first hearing of this I thought ''God, this sounds a bit weird O_O'' But since Yuu Watase had never let me down before I thought I'd try it and see. And I sure wasn't dissapointed. Humourous, lighthearted and sweet, Absolute Boyfriend is typical Shoujo fluffiness but with some added sparkle. The story grabbed me, the jokes made me laugh, I loved the characters and the only part I didn't like was the ending- tears were almost flooding out when I'd finished reading it, it was so bittersweet. Don't get me wrong- the ending WAS good, I just felt very sorry for one boy in particular, since he knew it would end the way it did and managed to tough it out till the end. The story really couldn't be flawed.

Art: Though I found it a little simplified in comparison with Yuu Watase's previous works, I found myself liking the art style- it suited the story well and the chibi's were adooorable :3

Characters: The characters are so relatable in Absolute Boyfriend, you end up loving each and every one of them- from clueless Night to clumsy Riiko and problematic Gaku. The ability to easily fall in love with the characters is part of its ability to draw you in and thats also part of what makes the ending so tear-jerking, you end up considering the characters as completely real people and feel genuinely sorry for some as well as happy for others.

Overall: Getting over how weird it may seem at first glance, Absolute Boyfriend is way more than a book about a girl who buys a figurine online due to her pent up sexual frustration at her lack of boyfriends; this manga's probably one of the best I've read and stands out for its great storyline and amazing characters.

8/10 story
8/10 art
9/10 characters
8/10 overall
Rebkkah's avatar
May 21, 2013

So... I laughed, I cried, I read until stupid o'clock on a work night. Thumbs up for this manga.

It's not for everyone, but I definately enjoyed this manga very much. Absolute Boyfriend was funny, sweet, sexy and sad. Despite the absurdity his origins, it's impossible not to get sucked into the roller coaster journey of Night as he searches for a way to become more human and win over the girl he loves. And even though Night definately won me over, I found myself cheering for both of the male leads without any clear preference. This made the story all the more interesting in that I couldn't predict a satisfactory ending, which of course made me want to know how it ended IMMEDIATELY (hence the stupid o'clock incident). Overall, I was satisfied with the storyline from start to finish.

However, in regards to the characters, I was a bit disappointed in the female lead. Given the calibre of the males used, I would have preferred someone a bit more admirable. But that's just my opinion.

I would definately recommend Absolute Boyfriend to anyone who enjoys a good romantic comedy.

?/10 story
?/10 art
?/10 characters
8/10 overall
yasmin09's avatar
Aug 2, 2010

Story: Absolute Boyfriend is about a high school chick who is so desperate for a boyfriend that she actually buys one from a questionable catalogue and winds up with a "perfect" boyfriend who happens to be a robot, and of course, complication and drama ensues. Frankly, this story was fairly mediocre in plot. The plain, average girl has two guys madly in love with her for some non-stated reason even though she's pretty selfish, not smart, and is quite annoying. That said, the one reason that I rated this as high as I did is because the story kept me guessing. It's crazy, actually somewhat funny, and fairly unexpected so I was kept guessing till the end and so it stood out somewhat against some other shoujos, though that really does not say much.

Art: Mediocre at best. Sure, the guys were decent looking but the animation was subpar. It didn't stand out. There was a ridiculous amount of sparkles and polka dots. The expressions conveyed didn't leave much of an impact. Overall, it was generic and unmemorable so it was very lacking and could have used a lot of improvement.

Characters: The characters weren't the greatest. The main girl is selfish, not smart, loves more than one guy, and only cares about getting a boyfriend. Everything in life will be solved with a significant other right? Not only that, but she was also pretty pathetic especially in the way she handled a classmate being mean to her. She just sat there and took the abuse while crying. On top of that, she even admitted to liking both guys and strung the two along until nearly the end. Why the two main guys were in love with her was not clearly stated.

Night, the "ideal" boyfriend, was sweet and could do quite a bit but I found him nowhere near perfect. Though he had many talents, he lacked depth mainly because he was not a real person and so did not have any kind of backstory.

Soushi, the best friend next door, loved the girl because they've lived side-by-side for so long. He was willing to put up with the girls indecisiveness over who she liked and though he had some depth, I found it hard to really accept his decision to love her despite her awful traits.

Overall: This story did not have the best characters or story but it was somewhat entertaining for due the unpredictablility and craziness. I kind of liked how I did not know what would happen. So if you are looking for a fluff story with lackluster (and at times incredibly annoying) characters that provides you with mindless entertainment and a somewhat unpredictable plot, then this does the job decently. If you want something with actual substance, good entertainment, and that does not leave you feeling like you wasted part of life, look elsewhere.

5/10 story
4/10 art
3/10 characters
4.5/10 overall
Viola's avatar
May 4, 2011

I am a romantic kind of person but I am not a huge girly girl.  I knew what to semi expect from this manga since it involved romance and most romances that I have read involve a girl who is very shy and reacts out of proportion and the boy always seems to want to protect the girl from any evil possible.  I find that this manga has character that deviates from that.  This manga has made me laugh and smile and if you want a good laugh and smile, read it.  :3

10/10 story
8/10 art
10/10 characters
8/10 overall
LittleChomp's avatar
Sep 3, 2010

Manga in 200 Words: Absolute Boyfriend

Premise: Riiko never catches a break; every boy that’s she’s ever loved has turned her down without hesitation. Hurt and alone, Riiko turns to a strange online company for a solution. Will her artificial boyfriend Night solve Riiko’s problems or make them worse?

Art: Sleek, smooth art typical of shoujo manga. Everyone has spiky hair and is drawn with long, elegant lines. I approve.

Relationships: Absolute Boyfriend has good tension between the characters and maintains it well through series. Riiko is easy to relate to, and Night and Soshi were both appealing. Personally, I shipped Soshi from volume 2 on.

Action: The battles in this series are used more for humor than tension. In particular, 02’s fight with several enemies. (You’ll know it when you see it.)

Audience: Teen girls who’ve been burned by bad relationships and unrequited love.

Extras: Of the two final stories, I preferred “Aromatic.” It seemed kind of hollow at first, but once the secret of the girl’s pheromones was revealed, I was charmed.

Overall: Absolute Boyfriend is a solid series. Some parts are a bit more mature, but it’s handled in an innocent way. Expect a sweet, light drama.

8/10 story
6/10 art
7/10 characters
7/10 overall